Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi: Afghanistan bat first as Raza's side chase a second straight tri-series win
In one minute
Afghanistan face Zimbabwe at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Monday, October 19, in the second match of the ODI tri-series in the UAE. Afghanistan chose to bat first in their opening game of the event, while Zimbabwe arrive after a 99-run win over Bangladesh in which Brendan Taylor became their top ODI run-scorer.
Key takeaways
- Afghanistan play Zimbabwe in the second match of the ODI tri-series in the UAE at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on Monday, October 19 (3:30pm local, 4:30pm in Pakistan).
- Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat, according to Cricbuzz. It is their first match of the series.
- Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opener on Saturday and top the table.
- Brendan Taylor became Zimbabwe's highest run-scorer in ODIs during that win, passing Andy Flower.
- The top two teams meet in the final on October 23.
Playing XIs
| Afghanistan | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|
| Ibrahim Zadran | Brian Bennett |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) | Ben Curran |
| Sediqullah Atal | Tafadzwa Tsiga |
| Rahmat Shah (c) | Brendan Taylor (wk) |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Sikandar Raza (c) |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Wessly Madhevere |
| Mohammad Nabi | Ryan Burl |
| Rashid Khan | Brad Evans |
| AM Ghazanfar | Wellington Masakadza |
| Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi | Ernest Masuku |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Blessing Muzarabani |
Source: Cricbuzz.
How Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh
In Saturday's opener on the same ground, Zimbabwe made 271 for 8 and then bowled Bangladesh out for 172 in 33.4 overs, ESPNcricinfo's scorecard shows.
- Craig Ervine scored 93 and was player of the match.
- Brendan Taylor made 81, sharing a stand of about 150 with Ervine. His runs took him to 6,837 in ODIs, past Andy Flower's 6,786 as Zimbabwe's top scorer.
- Brad Evans took 4 for 45 and Taskin Ahmed took 3 for 44 for Bangladesh.
Captain Sikandar Raza said before the toss that the mood in the dressing room was relaxed but professional, and that Afghanistan would be "a new challenge, a difficult one".
Form and conditions
Afghanistan's last ODI series was against Ireland in August, when they won four matches and one was abandoned without a ball bowled, ESPNcricinfo records show.
The pitch report on ESPNcricinfo said the surface used in the first match gave seamers some help and variable bounce, with spinners expected to play a big part, which brings Rashid Khan and Ghazanfar into focus.
Full schedule
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 17 | Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe won by 99 runs) | Abu Dhabi |
| Oct 19 | Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe | Abu Dhabi |
| Oct 21 | Afghanistan vs Bangladesh | UAE |
| Oct 23 | Final | UAE |
| Oct 27, 29, Nov 1 | Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, three T20Is | Sharjah |
| Nov 5–9, Nov 13–17 | Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, two Tests | Sharjah |
Afghanistan are the hosts of the series, which is being played in the UAE, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said.
What happens next
- A Zimbabwe win would put them very close to a place in the October 23 final.
- If Afghanistan win, the last league game against Bangladesh on October 21 is likely to decide the second finalist.
- This post will be updated with the result.
Sources
- Cricbuzz — AFG vs ZIM, 2nd Match, ODI Tri-Nation Series in UAE, 2026
- ESPNcricinfo — Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd Match, UAE ODI Tri-Series
- ESPNcricinfo — Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 1st Match result
- Afghanistan Cricket Board — Afghanistan to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for multi-format series in UAE
- ICC — Afghanistan announce multi-format series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe
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